Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1887-07-30

all ntiS-
A banker from Omaha, scribe and
Davenport banker were in the latter's
surry riding on the Locust street road,
west of the city limits, intending to enjoy
that lovely drive which drops one down
in West Davenport before he knows it,
when rig went past them like streak,
slowed up little ways ahead, and soon
was away like flash on the level road
again. And when ii passed the Omahan
made the exclamation. 1t was an oppor-
tunity for the scribe, and he could not
forego it, for Mr.. MaYne is resident of
Davenport for the summer.
Are you well acquainted with Mr.
MayneH" be asked. The Omahan replied
that he was, and the scribe said; He is
such young man In appearance to be as
wealthy us he Is reputed to be how did
he make his money! Did he have cspital
to commence WITH"
His is very singular career-not
many histories like 1t even in this coun-
try of rapidly>made fortunes. He is
president of the bank in Omaha, OF which
am one of the directors. | know his
father. who has told me abo, his son.
Young Mayne was born in Van Buren,
county, in Iowa His father was an ear
" settler in Wapello county. and owned
II farm, which is now the site of the city
of Ottumwa His father built many
miles of the Burlington & Missouri rail
road as contractor, and was well off
when he settled in Van Buren, county,
where the son was born. When the son
was ten years old, firm of contractors
whose papers Mr.. Mayne endorsed heav-
lily, failed, and he was involved IN the
ruin. The boy started out for himself
that very year. | heard him say once
in joke that be never had school ad
vantages; if he had, he might have made
more money After being an errand boy
TWO or three years, he learned telegraph
ing, and when Tom Potter, now gem
eral manager of the Union Pacific rail-
road, was station agent at Abba for the
@, Mayne was his telegraph operator.
Only the other day Potter told me that he
said to Mayne once. You will either be
very successful man, or you will be
hanged-one of the two
How long has Mayne been in Oma>
ha?' asked the scribe.
About eleven years-came in 1876,
worked as telegraph operator at first and
then as newspaper man on the Bee. He
saved several hundred dollars which be
invested in an Iowa coal mine specula.
ton and lost every cent of it. That WAS
in the summer of 'S3 and that fall he
had just 81 50 in his pocket when he
opened real estate Office in Omaha with
chair and desk as its furniture. You
never saw such pusher in business. He
set book keepers, clerks and mechanics
wild over real estate. He got the agency
for the sale of lots in an addition. He
would bone every married man who ha(
no home of his own and every single mar
who had saved something. he could find
Here, why don't you buy lot TO
yourself. don't you know Omaha il
bound to grow immensely Buy a 10
and double your money on it," He go
people to buying lots with little casi
down and the rest on time. He started
| Il real estate boom for that addition il
that way anu luck was in his hands. He
| bought lots himself, paid little dow
and sold them in few DAYS with a nea
profit. The second year he went int
| big deals He negotiated for piece o
property, agreeing to pay 500, 600 for it
| All the business men in Omaha stared a
| him, wondering what he was about.
| thought he was cracked. Well, sir, il
less than year be had closed that prop
ertv out at prof, of S612,O00i II
paid $50, 900 for another tract, and tn
same year made $35, 900 on it. and stIl
owns portion of it. He took piece o
property to sell on commission and hi
commissions amounted to $4,000 th
first dav-the end of the second day say
it closed out with $50, 900 clear profit il
his pockets"
How on earth could that be done in
| place the SIZE of Omaha, asked tn
scribe. marveling at such astoundin
quickness in securing great fortune.
1T is strange, almost mystery, but i
is the truth. think no other man il
Omaha ever made money like that. VIII
| did You ever hear what he did with you
two Davenporters, James Thompson, tn
banker, and Erastus A Benson 2-tha
deal in their addition2 Mayne, Thomp
son and Benson bought a section. "a
| acres, which lay five miles west OF tn
court house in Omaha, and paid Sl3O,o0
for it. They plated it into lots, an
went to work building horse railway u
| it. The first three DAYS after they com
menced disposing of the lots they sol
enough to pay for the whole tract, an
the total space sold was but 1913 acres. @
| Just one fifth of the whole. Mayne &C
up an excitement by advertising coupl
of weeks before the sale that set ret
estate men end people who ha
money to invest wild He wa
great on notwithstanding newspapers
He paid the Bee, the Herald and the Repui
tscdn, $500 to 81 600 week for adverts
ing weeks at a time. He had one of til
best writers on the New York Herdl
write Omaha up in n descriptive way
an entertaining, readable letter by casui
traveler-and paid the Herald $1,000
column for it He paid the Chicago 7r
bune $500 a column for the same Wort
Did the same kind of advertising in tt
Boston Herald and Philadelphia Time,
His name or business was not meutIone
in these articles, but every one of thel
paid him a thousand Fer cent. No ma
living has done more for Omaha than he
What has brought him to Davenport
"Weil, sir. | think the man was work
ing himself to DEATH know it. He
president of bank, president of II di
ferent business associations, and membe
of many others. The board of commits
sioners of public works in Omaha consis
of three members; and Mr.. Mayne is OF
of them He has been away now nearl
three montbs-and if he doesn't retur
before the end of this week they will d.
clare his place vacant and elect a sue
cessor, in justice to his colleagues.
in attending to his own business and th,
of all others, the man worked 16 to
hours day, month in and month gu
Just as if his iron constitution could nj
be broken. One day, without previol
warning, he was taken with oIrhag
of the lungs, and broke down all at ono
; He is here to get cured by means of trea
/, ment and the wholesome air of the
healthy hills. You'll find he has bar
in this growing boom of YOURS some day